UPDATE - Russia closes airspace to 4 countries

UPDATES WITH FINLAND’S PLAN TO CLOSE AIRSPACE TO RUSSIA

By Ali Cura and Busra Nur Cakmak

MOSCOW / ANKARA (AA) - Russia is closing its airspace to planes from four countries, its state aviation agency said early Sunday.

The Federal Agency for Air Transport said its airspace is closed for planes from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Estonia in response to those nations banning Russian airplanes from their airspace.

The ban also covers transit flights.

Russia already closed its airspace to planes from Czechia, UK, Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania.

Finland on early Sunday said the country will close its airspace to Russia.

“Finland is preparing to close airspace from Russian air traffic,” Timo Harakka, Finland’s minister of transport and communications, said on Twitter.

The Nordic country is yet to announce the date of airspace closure.

The UK, Bulgaria, Czechia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia announced earlier that they closed their airspaces to Russia.